A quantum sensor for atomic-scale electric and magnetic fields
Nature Nanotechnology, vol. 19, pp. 1466–1471
Abstract
The detection of faint magnetic fields from single-electron and nuclear spins at the atomic scale is a long-standing challenge in physics. While current mobile quantum sensors achieve single-electron spin sensitivity, atomic spatial resolution remains elusive for existing techniques. Here we fabricate a single-molecule quantum sensor at the apex of the metallic tip of a scanning tunnelling microscope by attaching Fe atoms and a PTCDA (3,4,9,10-perylenetetracarboxylic-dianhydride) molecule to the tip apex. We address the molecular spin by electron spin resonance and achieve ~100 neV resolution in energy. In a proof-of-principle experiment, we measure the magnetic and electric dipole fields emanating from a single Fe atom and an Ag dimer on an Ag(111) surface with sub-angstrom spatial resolution. Our method enables atomic-scale quantum sensing experiments of electric and magnetic fields on conducting surfaces and may find applications in the sensing of spin-labelled biomolecules and of spin textures in quantum materials.
Authors 7
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Taner Esat corresponding
Forschungszentrum Jülich · Jülich Aachen Research Alliance
Affiliation as printed
Jülich Aachen Research Alliance (JARA), Fundamentals of Future Information Technology, Jülich, Germany. t.esat@fz-juelich.de
Peter Grünberg Institute (PGI-3), Forschungszentrum Jülich, Jülich, Germany. t.esat@fz-juelich.de
Peter Grünberg Institute (PGI-3), Forschungszentrum Jülich, Jülich, Germany
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Ewha Womans University · Institute for Basic Science · Center for Quantum Nanoscience
Affiliation as printed
Center for Quantum Nanoscience (QNS), Institute for Basic Science (IBS), Seoul, South Korea
Department of Physics, Ewha Womans University, Seoul, South Korea
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Ewha Womans University · Institute for Basic Science · Center for Quantum Nanoscience
Affiliation as printed
Center for Quantum Nanoscience (QNS), Institute for Basic Science (IBS), Seoul, South Korea
Department of Physics, Ewha Womans University, Seoul, South Korea
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Andreas J. Heinrich corresponding
Ewha Womans University · Institute for Basic Science · Center for Quantum Nanoscience
Affiliation as printed
Center for Quantum Nanoscience (QNS), Institute for Basic Science (IBS), Seoul, South Korea. heinrich.andreas@qns.science
Department of Physics, Ewha Womans University, Seoul, South Korea. heinrich.andreas@qns.science
Center for Quantum Nanoscience (QNS), Institute for Basic Science (IBS), Seoul, South Korea
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Forschungszentrum Jülich · Jülich Aachen Research Alliance · RWTH Aachen University
Affiliation as printed
Experimentalphysik IV A, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany
Jülich Aachen Research Alliance (JARA), Fundamentals of Future Information Technology, Jülich, Germany
Peter Grünberg Institute (PGI-3), Forschungszentrum Jülich, Jülich, Germany
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Yujeong Bae corresponding
Ewha Womans University · Institute for Basic Science · Center for Quantum Nanoscience · Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology
Affiliation as printed
Center for Quantum Nanoscience (QNS), Institute for Basic Science (IBS), Seoul, South Korea. bae.yujeong@qns.science
Department of Physics, Ewha Womans University, Seoul, South Korea. bae.yujeong@qns.science
Empa, Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology, nanotech@surfaces Laboratory, Dübendorf, Switzerland. bae.yujeong@qns.science
Center for Quantum Nanoscience (QNS), Institute for Basic Science (IBS), Seoul, South Korea
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Forschungszentrum Jülich · University of Cologne · Jülich Aachen Research Alliance
Affiliation as printed
Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, Institute of Physics II, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
Jülich Aachen Research Alliance (JARA), Fundamentals of Future Information Technology, Jülich, Germany
Peter Grünberg Institute (PGI-3), Forschungszentrum Jülich, Jülich, Germany
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